07 Do All Things Without Grumbling (Philippians 2:14–30)

unknown: It was in the world. Speaker: This is the Wednesday in the Word podcast. Thanks for downloading it. I'm Krisan Marotta. Today we're looking at Philippians chapter 2, verses 14 through 30. This is the seventh talk in our series on the book of Philippians. For links and lecture notes related to today's talk, please go to our website. You can find those at wednesdayintheword.com slash Philippians 7. Glad to have you along. Well, as I outlined the book of Philippians, we are finishing the first major section of the body of the letter, and I'd like to review what we've covered so far. Paul wrote this letter from prison. I believe this was probably written during his first Roman imprisonment, which would date the letter to 60 to 62 AD in that range. The Philippian Church has sent him a gift of financial support, and he's writing this letter to respond to the gift. So he has three purposes in writing this letter. First, he wants to thank them for their generosity in sending the gift. Second, he wants to update them on his current situation as a prisoner. And third, he wants to encourage them to persevere in the faith. We saw all three of these purposes in the first eleven verses of chapter one. He prayed that they would have genuine faith that manifests itself in wisdom, and that faith would lead them to love one another, and they would persevere in that faith till the end. In spite of his circumstances, he says he rejoiced that the gospel was going forward, even though he wasn't able to go out and proclaim it himself. Then the section we're finishing today begin in verse 127. He's been encouraging them to extend self-sacrificing love and patience to each other. They're to flee rivalry and conceit and consider the needs of others more significant than their own. They're to have a shared unity around their shared belief in the gospel as they strive to embrace the gospel, that will lead them to have one mind. So he wants this common hope and faith to bring them together in spite of the many ways they might disagree. So last week we looked at the section where he encouraged them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and we talked about the idea that he was not simply urging them to be nicer or behave better, but he's confronting them with the issue that embracing their salvation has implications for how they live and conduct themselves, and that he wants them to both take God seriously, yes, he's a holy God and we are sinful, but also remember he's a compassionate and loving God who has done everything necessary to save us. We're going to look at the end of that section then today, starting in 214. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. So he returns to this theme of doing all things without grumbling and questioning, of having unity, of putting away self selfishness and considering others and the needs of others as important as your own or more important than yourself, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. That's two fifteen. And most likely there he's alluding to the song of Moses. Just before he died, Moses wrote a poetic address that he delivered to Israel. In that address he talks about their rebellion and the price they will pay for that rebellion, but also how God will have mercy on them and bring them back, and he critiques Israel, predicting they will turn away and pay the price, but ultimately God will have mercy. While the song of Moses is found in Deuteronomy 32, the part that Paul is referencing refers back to a story that's found in Numbers fourteen verses one through four, and this event recorded in Numbers takes place after the exodus from Egypt while they're wandering in the desert. They grow weary and they're forgetting what God has done for them, they begin doubting the promises of God and they grumble against Moses and Aaron. So this is Numbers fourteen through four. Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night, and all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we had died in this wilderness? Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. Then later when Moses writes this song, he refers back to this event, and speaking of Israel he says in Deuteronomy thirty two five, They have dealt corruptly with him. They are no longer his children because they are blemished. They are a crooked and twisted generation. So Paul says he wants the Philippians to be the opposite of the three things Moses says was true of the Israelites then. So Moses says the Israelites who grumbled in the wilderness forgot the promises of God, they were blemished, stained with their corruption, and they didn't faithfully follow God but turned away from him, and that was a stain on him. And Paul's saying the opposite. Unlike the ancient Israelites, he wants them to be without flaw and without blemish, to never forget what God has done for them in order that may be blameless and innocent. Moses says the rebellion of the Israelites showed that they were not the children of God. Paul says he wants the Philippians to show that they are the children of God by remaining faithful and persevering in their faith. Moses calls the Israelites a crooked and twisted generation, and Paul says that he wants the Philippians to be without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Since the Philippian church was largely a Gentile church, I'm not sure how much Paul would expect the Philippians to notice that he's borrowing the language of Moses, but at least he's exploring a similar idea, and whether they were familiar with that Old Testament story or not, they could get the point. Moses was charging the Israelites with being faithless. God brought them together to be his people, but they turn away, they grumble, they want to go back to Egypt, showing that they're not really his children. They were corrupt, perverse, and twisted, and stained by their lack of faith. Paul's encouraging the Philippians to be the opposite of that. He wants them to be genuine, not like Israel was then. He wants them to be sincere and true in their faith, to remain faithful and persevere until the end. The Israelites proved themselves not to be children of God, and Paul wants the Philippians to prove themselves to be the children of God by remaining steadfast in their faith. So he says, Do all things without grumbling or questioning, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. What would it mean for Paul to have run in vain? He's been preaching the gospel to the Philippian Church, but what if on the day when Christ returns, the day when he returns to judge everything, it turns out the Philippian Church has abandoned the faith. Then we could say Paul's preaching would have been in vain. If they turn away, if they grumble, if they dispute, then we would say their faith was blemished, they did not hold fast to the word of life, and then Paul's efforts were for nothing. Note again this connection between how they treat each other and what they believe. This idea of abandoning grumbling and disputing is tied to holding fast to the word of life, and we've been seeing this idea throughout the letter, and here it is again. If indeed they live out their faith this way, they will shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. I think two seventeen and eighteen are the bridge and the transition into the next section which concludes chapter two, where he says, Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. What does it mean for Paul to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of faith? There's a couple of options here. It could mean the same thing as running in vain. He could be saying on the day when Christ returns, I don't want to find out that my preaching has been for nothing, that I was poured out as a sacrifice for your faith, but it bore no fruit. Grammatically and structurally that makes a kind of sense. But the problem with this option is he goes on to say that he rejoices in this, and he wants them to rejoice as well. Well, that doesn't make sense. It would be a tragedy if the Philippian Church turned away from the faith and Paul's preaching were for nothing, and I don't think that would be any cause for rejoicing. So the other option, which makes more sense to me, is that being poured out as a drink offering has the opposite effect. They truly do believe. They truly did embrace the faith. So Paul's preaching, his being beaten and jailed and suffering to bring them the gospel while he was in Philippi was not in vain. A drink offering, as I understand it, was an offering that was poured out alongside the main sacrifice. So there's a sense in which he suffered many trials to establish their church and teach them of the faith, and you could say those sufferings, those trials, the beatings, the being jailed and such that he endured was him being poured out as a drink offering. So I think he's saying something like this on the day when Christ returns, I don't want to find out that my preaching to you has been in vain, but if indeed I have not been running in vain, my work is like a drink offering being poured out alongside the sacrifice of your faith offered to God, then I rejoice with you. I rejoice in my sufferings if indeed they turned out to help you in the faith. I like that option much better than our first option, but there is a third option. He might mean even if I die. He could be saying, I'm here I am imprisoned in Rome, I don't know yet what my verdict will be. If in fact I am executed, if I am put to death for preaching the gospel, I will still rejoice, because I have helped you in the faith, and I want you to rejoice as well. So he could be saying, On the day when Christ returns, I don't want to find out that my preaching to you has been in vain, but if indeed I have not been running in vain and you persevere in the faith, yet I am executed in the process, and in that sense I've been poured out as a drink offering, then I rejoice and you should rejoice with me. So in option three, the drink offering is not just Paul's ministry, but his very life. Either of those are likely, either of those are possible. I kind of lean toward the second, but with either of the last two, Paul's rejoicing at the genuine faith he sees in the Philippian church. If his ministry has been part of bringing them to genuine faith, then he rejoices and he wants them to rejoice with him. Perhaps there's this added idea that even if his ministry results in his death there is still cause to rejoice. And it is speaking of his ministry then that transitions into the next paragraph. Look at two hundred nineteen to the end. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you, so that I too may be cheered by news of you, for I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, for they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill near to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. So you'll remember that Paul is under arrest as he's writing this letter, he is under house arrest in Rome and he cannot visit them, and of course, communication back then was very different. We think nothing today of talking to anyone anywhere in the world immediately and even seeing their face while we're talking to them. But in Paul's day, contact happened as people traveled back and forth and brought news, and traveling took weeks and weeks and weeks, and so news traveled slowly. So we see in Paul's comments here three different ways he hopes to communicate with the Philippians. The first way he wants to communicate with them, at least chronologically, is by sending apaphroditus to them with this letter. We know from Colossians 4 that Apaphroditus, who's also called Epaphrus, is from Colossians, but he appears to have been living and working in Philippi for a while. And we know from Philippians 4 18 that he is the person that brought the financial gift from the Philippian church to Paul. The plan was for him to stay with Paul for a while and help him, but when he arrived, Epaphroditus got very sick and almost died. So news of this has probably trickled back into Philippi, and he's longing to see his family and friends again, and reassure them that he is alright, that even though they've heard news of his illness, he has recovered and he doesn't want them to worry. So Paul is sending Epaphroditus back to the Philippians with this letter, and they will rejoice when they have him back, and everyone will have one less thing to worry about. Paul commends Ephroditus to them. So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. That's 229 and 30. I want to talk about that last phrase, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. It's kind of a strange phrase. It sounds funny to us to talk about someone's service being lacking. Well what could be lacking? The Philippians came up with this idea to send money to Paul and to send Epaphroditus to Paul to help him. And looking at it from their side, what was lacking? Epaphroditus came to serve Paul on behalf of the Philippians. The whole church couldn't come, so they send Epaphroditus as their representative. From their perspective, the distance between Philippi and Rome made it difficult for them to help and serve Paul, at least in the way they probably wanted to help and serve him. They want to do more, but the distance between them limits their options. So they're sending Epaphroditus to fill the gap. They send him to fill what is lacking. He can be there in person, he can close the distance between the church and Paul and help Paul, and so in their minds their help was lacking because of the distance. They couldn't do everything they would like to do, so they send a paphroditus to fill the lack. I don't think Paul's criticizing their service, I think he's describing it from their perspective and actions. They're saying he you sent him to me to close this gap, to do the things that you couldn't do because you're so far away. The first way, chronologically speaking, he hopes to communicate with them is to send a papyridus back with his letter. They can read the letter, papyrditus will bring them news, and they will be reassured. The second way Paul intends to communicate with them is to send Timothy a little bit later on. In 219 he says, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you so that I may be cheered by news of you. I suspect Paul's delaying in sending Timothy because he hopes by the time Timothy's is able to go that Paul's fate will become clear. They will know one way or other whether he will be released from prison or not, and then Timothy can bring them the news. So Paul wants to send Timothy for their sake, but he also wants to send Timothy for his own sake. When Epaphroditus returns to Philippi, he's going to stay. He lives there now, and he will settle back into his life in Philippi. But Paul wants to keep in contact, and to do that someone has to go back and forth. So by sending Timothy, who's not from Philippi, Timothy will stay for a while, catch up, share his news, gather news, and then he will return and tell Paul what he's learned. They know Timothy, they have a good relationship with him. Timothy cares about them and vice versa, he can help them, and then he will return to Paul and let Paul know what is going on. Notice Paul says that Timothy is the only person Paul could call on to make this kind of a trip in 20 and 21, for I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, for they all seek their own interests and not those of Jesus Christ. Paul would like to have people around him who care about the people of Christ as much as he does himself, such that they would be willing to make this journey and to gather news, and Paul has only one person who's capable and willing of making this kind of trip. Estimates of the distance between Rome and Philippi range from 700 to 1,200 miles depending on the route taken. And the travel time varied significantly depending on whether you traveled by sea or you traveled by land. The weather at any at the time of year where you're traveling could make a big difference, and it also mattered how fast you walked or whether you were riding a horse or a donkey. In the best conditions, such a trip made by foot would take about six weeks, but in less favorable conditions it could take three months, and this is one way. So we don't know enough about Paul's situation to say for sure, but I'm inclined to think he's not saying I have a bunch of losers around me who don't care enough about you and the gospel to get off their rear ends and go make this trip. I couldn't send any of them because they're all too selfish. I don't think that's what he's saying. Rather I think he's saying I have only one person who's able to take at least six weeks and maybe over three months to journey to you. So he is saying he's largely alone in this work. People may drop in to see him, ask how he's doing, bring him bits of news, but he only has a few people who were laboring with them such that they could make this kind of a trip. People who could drop their regular life routine and throw their lot in with Paul to advance the gospel. Remember earlier in this exhortation he said in 2.4, let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others. He repeats that phrase here in 221, for they all seek their own interest, not those of Jesus Christ. Literally, they're seeking their own things. Timothy is the only one he can count on to be concerned with more than his own things. And that way Timothy is something of an example or an object lesson for them. Care about more than your own things, like Timothy, who is concerned about you and therefore willing to serve the gospel by making this journey. He knows you're going to be anxious about my faith, and he's willing to make this trip to give you news and ease your anxiety. Timothy has a personal connection with the Church of Philippi. Remember from Acts 16, Paul met Timothy and Lytstra, then Paul got a message to go to Macedonia and Timothy went with him. So the first thing Timothy did with Paul was go with him to Philippi. Timothy must have been very young at the time, because when Paul writes 1 Timothy, or a few years after this, around 62 to 64 AD, it would be some ten to fifteen years after they had met and after their first visit to Philippi. In that letter he says, Let no one look down on your youthfulness. So if Timothy was still considered young ten or fifteen years later, he must have been quite young during that first visit. So the second way Paul wants to keep in touch is to send Timothy sometime after he sends Epaphroditus with the letter, and finally the third way Paul hopes to communicate with them is to visit them in person. In 224 he says, And I trust in the Lord that shortly. I myself will come also. Again, Paul's under arrest in Rome, and in human terms, the outcome is not given. Paul could be released or he could be executed. He said in chapter 1 that he expects to be released. Paul's confident that God has more for him to do and he expects to be released. And in fact, we know from church history that Paul was released from this imprisonment. The New Testament does not tell us whether Paul visited Philippi again, but tradition claims that he did. So this section gives us a little bit of a picture about how much work it took to communicate during Paul's day. And in this case, his imprisonment makes it even more difficult because his movements are restricted. He can't come and see them in person, and he has to depend on people traveling back and forth. And people like Timothy have to make the sacrifice to undertake this major kind of a trip. Well, since we're finishing a major section of the book, I'd like to spend a little time reviewing one of its major themes, and that is the connection between how they treat each other and what they believe. We've seen a lot of language about how they should treat each other. Philippians 2 2, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Then 2 3, do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Going on 2 4 and 5, let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. Have this mind among yourselves which was yours in Christ Jesus. In 2.14, do all things without grumbling or questioning. So we've all this language focused on how they treat each other and encouraging them to be of the same mind, to be unified, and to be considering the needs of others. And then along with that, along with that language about unity and how they should treat each other, we have this connection to their faith. Remember 127, only let your manner of light be worthy of the gospel of Christ. 21, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. 212, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And then what we were just looking at in two fifteen, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, and in two sixteen holding fast to the word of life. So we have this language running through side by side with the language of how they should treat each other, this language of persevering and faith, of living their life in a manner worthy of the gospel, of holding fast to the word of life, of working out their salvation. So I want to explore that a little bit more and just kind of wrap the whole section up by reviewing that theme. Paul clearly believes that their choices about how they treat each other say something about their faith. And as we've discussed, that's a really scary idea because we all fail to treat each other as we should. We all are selfish at times, we all grumble and dispute, we all fall into disagreements and strife. And here is Paul tying that kind of behavior to faith. So what's he talking about? We know that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and we know our salvation is not dependent on how well we perform or how well we keep the law or how quickly or slowly we progress toward maturity. God saves us because he is a merciful and gracious God. In spite of the fact that we're sinners, he saves us because of the atoning sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ. Well then we come to all these passages like this, and there are many others in Scripture, the letter of James perhaps being the most well known, and we see this connection between what we believe and how we live. Well, if the connection is not earning your salvation or keeping your salvation, what's the connection? This connection is important to understand because it's one of the great themes of Scripture. It shows up in so many passages. Perhaps the most well known are the passages that talk about God using the circumstances of our lives to test our faith and prove that our faith is the real deal. God puts us in situations where we're faced with a choice, where we must confront those questions of what am I counting on? What am I hoping for? Who do I trust? Where do I think I will find life and blessing and goodness? Will I find life in the promises of the gospel or will I find life in the promises of the world? Where am I going to place my hope and my trust? Am I going to trust my own resources, my own intelligence or physical ability, or am I going to place my trust and the hope of the gospel? What do I think really matters? How I live my life reveals how I answer those questions. When I'm faced with situations like how will I spend my money? Will I give it away or not? Will I spend it on this or that? How will I spend my time? How will I treat my family? How do I treat my co-workers? What am I going to teach my children? Will I seek revenge when I'm hurt or harmed or will I turn the other cheek? Will I snap back in anger or will I demand my own way? All those choices, big or small, reveal something about my faith or my lack of it, and that's what Paul's encouraging them to consider. Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Live your life in such a way that it's clear you believe the gospel. Faith makes a difference. It shouldn't be my last resort, the kind of, okay, God, I've tried everything else. Let's see if you can get me out of this jam. That's not what we want to be about. Rather, faith should be the guiding principle of our lives, what Jesus calls hungering and thirsting after righteousness. As we go through life, we're going to face situation after situation where we have to choose God's way or the world's way, where we're faced with a decision or a choice, something we must either say or do or not do or not say, and we have to choose God's way or my way. Situations force me to confront the question, what do I really believe and who am I really counting on? Do I believe God is trustworthy? Do I believe the gospel is true because here and now it matters because I have a choice to make? Ultimately we all face the problem that God has opened our eyes and the world looks different now. We have seen and marveled at the great promises of holiness and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and we long for that. We want to be that kind of person, worthy, unblemished, a light in the dark, and yet we're sinful. So no, our salvation is not dependent on our choices in the sense that we're in trouble if we don't choose the right thing, but the state of our maturity is revealed by our choices. Do we strive for righteousness? Do we grieve when we fail? Those are marks of faith. Those are signs of faith. Maybe it hasn't reached full maturity yet, but it is still faith. When someone hurts me, I have to face in earnest what the gospel says about forgiveness. When I've lost my job and finances are scarce, I have to face the question of what it means to trust God and what I'm trusting him for. It can be a really painful process, but it's a valuable one. Because we can't merely say we believe, we must live as if we believe. So the Philippians are facing the external pressures of persecution and harassment from their Roman neighbors. They're also facing the internal pressure of conflict and disputes. They aren't getting along with each other. And Paul's saying these are the circumstances in which you must work out your salvation. The gospel tells you that sooner or later your persecutors will fail, but God is not going to fail you. The gospel tells you that you share a common hope and a common inheritance with your fellow believer, that you're following the same Lord and you're in this together. If you believe those things are true, and you should, because the gospel says they are, then you will come to act as if they are true. If you're willing to embrace this gospel as true, then you will come to know that Jesus has shown us what real self-sacrifice and compassion looks like. This is why Paul can start a sentence with do all things without grumbling or disputing, and then end it with so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain. He's saying if you've embraced the gospel such that your life changes, your choices change, your values and actions change, then I have not run in vain. But if you only give lip service to the gospel when it and then when it matters, you say, no, no, I don't want to do that, and you run back to the world, then I've run in vain. True, we are sinners and we're gonna struggle. We're gonna make mistakes, we're gonna act wisely at times, and we're gonna act unwisely and selfishly at times. But the real question is, what's my ultimate goal? Bottom line, am I striving for righteousness and grieving when I miss it, or am I cavalier about it and I just want the ways of the world? Paul encourages them to get along with each other because the gospel has things to say about how we treat each other, and right now that's the challenge they're facing. Certainly we're gonna fail. Life will be messy, it's a journey, and the promise of the gospel is that we will eventually cross the finish line by the grace of God and the blood of Christ. Let me see if I can wrap this up by giving you an example from other scriptures. During the upper room discourse, Jesus says in John 14, 15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. It seems to me that Jesus is making the same sort of connection between faith and works or faith and lifestyle that we've been talking about here in Philippians. But at first reading, this is a really scary thing to say. It sounds like Jesus is saying we have to prove our love for him by being perfectly obedient and living a life without sin. Yet we know from many other scriptures that faith is a gift of God, that we are unable to keep God's commandments apart from the Holy Spirit working in our lives, and that left to ourselves we cannot be perfectly obedient. So I would reject that interpretation. Others have interpreted John 14, 15 to be saying, If you love me, I will make you the kind of person who keeps my commandments, such that this statement is a future promise. Well that idea has a lot to recommend it, and I do believe part of the journey of faith is the process of Jesus making us the kind of people who will eventually be able to keep his commandments. I do think that is true, but I don't think that is his point in the upper room discourse. It is true that while I struggle today, my great hope is that ultimately I will be rescued from sin. That idea is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture, but it doesn't work in the context of John fourteen. I don't want to get too deep in the passage, but let me just say that in this context Jesus uses some very pointed language. He seems to be saying this is how you identify those who love me. For instance, he goes on to say in fourteen twenty one, this is John fourteen twenty one, he who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me shall be loved by my father, and I will love him and will disclose myself to him. Well that order seems pretty clear. It is the one who has my commandments and keeps them that loves me, and my father loves him, and I love him and will disclose myself to him. And then he also says in fourteen twenty three and twenty four, if any one loves me he will keep my word, and the Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words, and the words which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. Again, all this language suggests that this is how you identify the ones who love Jesus and the ones you don't. And then he goes on to talk about how we must remain in his love. In John fifteen, ten he says, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. This verse implies that if you don't keep my commandments, you will not remain or abide in my love. So in light of all that, I don't think it works in the context to claim that Jesus is saying, If you love me, one day in the future I will make you the kind of person who keeps my commandments. He's talking about now, something in our present experience now. Somehow to be a disciple of Jesus requires us to keep his commandments. So we've ruled out two interpretations. He's not saying you must be perfectly obedient to earn your salvation by keeping my commandments, and he's not saying here, one day I will make you the kind of person who can keep my commandments. But I would argue there is a third way to understand this verse, and it is the connection that we have seen in Philippians. So he's not saying if you love me, you will be perfectly obedient and without sin, and he's not saying if you love me, I will make you perfectly obedient one day. Rather, he's describing this connection between faith and lifestyle that we've been talking about all along in Philippians so far. First, let's start with this idea if you love me. What does it mean to love Jesus? If we went verse by verse through the upper room discourse, you'd see that Jesus is contrasting those who love him and those who hate him. Love is not so much warm, worshipful feelings about him, though we may have those feelings. He sets up these contrasts, and as we go through them we quickly see that to love Jesus is not to be one who hates and rejects him. I don't reject him, I embrace him. I do not doubt him, rather I trust him. I do not think he's just an ancient misguided prophet. Rather I see him as the one who can save me, forgive me, and grant me eternal life. I long to be rescued in the way he has promised to rescue me. I think he has told me the truth about God and life and death and reality, and I believe him, and that that's what it means to love him, and the opposite of that is hating him. To love him then means to hold fast to him, to see him as good and right and true and want to follow him, to see him as having a rescue that I very much need, and he is the only one who is able to provide. So I don't reject and hate what Jesus is all about, rather I embrace what he is all about. And as Jesus describes it, there's no middle spot. There are only two kinds of people, those who love Jesus and those who hate him. What is it then that is true of those who do not hate Jesus but rather love him? He says they keep his commandments. The ones who don't hate Jesus but love him are the ones who keep his commandments. Now, at first reading this sounds very hard and very demanding. He says, If you love me you will keep my commandments, and yet I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I break the commandments of Jesus every day, and I'm not saying that glibly. It is a source of great sorrow and grief to me, and I am very aware that I am not what I ought to be. And I suspect you understand yourself the same way. The fact is I am a sinner and I know it. If Jesus is truly saying that I prove my love for him by the quality of my sinless obedience, then I am in big trouble. I don't think he's saying that. Rather, I think the key to understanding what Jesus is saying here is the very idea we've been discussing all along in Philippians. He's saying if you love me, if you're my disciple, you will confront these choices in your life. Being a follower of Jesus is not an abstract principle, it has teeth. Being a follower of Jesus means life is going to confront you with questions and challenges and issues where you will have to wrestle with what it means to follow him in this specific situation, and those who love him will strive to choose according to the ways of God and not the ways of the world. Faith matters. It makes a difference in the way we live our lives. Not that we have to be perfectly obedient, but the overall tone of our lives is that we are seeking the things of God. Let me take you to one more example, and hopefully this will bring it home and make it clear. Jesus said in Matthew ten thirty two and thirty three, everyone therefore who shall confess me before men, I shall also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Now that's pretty clear, and I find this a very helpful example in making all this connection make sense because of the example we have in the apostle Peter. In a key and crucial moment Peter denied Christ. Jesus had been betrayed by Judas, he's been arrested, he's hauled before the court, and the events that are going to lead to the cross have been set in motion. If there was ever a time for the followers of Jesus to stand up and be counted, you would think that was it. If there was ever a time to say I'm with him, I support him, it would be then when he was staring down the cross. And yet what does Peter do? He denies that he even knows Jesus three times. And I would argue that what Peter did in principle is exactly what Jesus says, if you do that, I will deny you before the Father. And yet we know that Jesus does not deny Peter before the Father. After the resurrection, Jesus meets Peter face to face, he embraces him, forgives him, and commissions Peter to carry the gospel message to the world. The fact that Peter actually failed to confess Jesus before men and actually denied Jesus before men was evidence that at that moment in his life Peter was fearful and weak and sinful, but it was only a step on the road. Ultimately, we know that Peter did confess Jesus before men. We know that he was jailed and beaten and eventually martyred rather than deny Jesus. So it's not the case that believers will perfectly and courageously always keep Jesus' commandments, but if we love him, we will ultimately choose to follow him and our lives will show it. We will, as Paul says in Philippians, hold fast to the word of life.